There is one piece of evidence which utterly seals the empty tomb of those that reject Christianity: The first Christians.

After Jesus' crucifixion, the apostles were scared. They had scattered and here in hiding. In their heart of hearts they were defeated as their leader was now dead. They had forgotten His words to them that this was to happen. A very short time later there was a tremendous transformation in them.

They went from cowering fugitives to the bravest, open and forthright indididuals who spoke with utmost boldness in regards towhy: The literal, physical resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

They were willing to put it all on the line for their testimony. It is this testimony by these eye-witnesses which proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that this, the very core of Christianity is absolutely true.

History itself gives an acount of those that died for their witness:

Stephen:His death was occasioned by the faithful manner in which he preached the Gospel to the betrayers and murderers of Christ. To such a degree of madness were they excited, that they cast him out of the city and stoned him to death.

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James, the half-brother of Jesus: The account given us by an eminent early writer, Clemens Alexandrinus, ought not to be overlooked; that, as James was led to the place of martyrdom, his accuser was brought to repent of his conduct by the apostle's extraordinary courage and undauntedness, and fell down at his feet to request his pardon, professing himself a Christian, and resolving that James should not receive the crown of martyrdom alone. Hence they were both beheaded at the same time. These events took place A.D. 44.

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Matthew: Slain with a halberd in the city of Nadabah while preaching the risen Christ in A.D. 60

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Matthias:Of whom less is known than of most of the other disciples, was elected to fill the vacant place of Judas. He was stoned at Jerusalem and then beheaded.

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Andrew:Was the brother of Peter. He preached the gospel to many Asiatic nations; but on his arrival at Edessa he was taken and crucified on a cross, the two ends of which were fixed transversely in the ground. Hence the derivation of the term, St. Andrew's Cross.

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Mark:He was converted to Christianity by Peter, who dictated what he saw in his Gospel in the Greek language. Mark was dragged to pieces by the people of Alexandria, at the great solemnity of Serapis their idol, ending his life under their merciless hands.

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Peter:Peter was condemned to death in Rome; crucified, upside down because he said he unworthy to be crucified after the same form and manner Jesus was.

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Jude:The author of the New Testament book of the same name was the he brother of James. He was crucified at Edessa, A.D. 72.

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Bartholomew:Having translated the Gospel of Matthew into the language of India, he propagated it in that country. He was at length cruelly beaten and then crucified by the impatient idolaters.

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Thomas:Afterat first doubting the resurrection until seeing Jesus with his own eyes, he then preached the Gospel in Parthia and India, where exciting the rage of the pagan priests, he was martyred by being thrust through with a spear.

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Luke:Was the author of the Gospel which goes under his name. He travelled with Paul through various countries, and was been hanged on an olive tree, by the pagan priests of Greece.

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John:The author of the Gospel that bears his name also founded the churches of Smyrna, Pergamos, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea, and Thyatira. From Ephesus he was ordered to be sent to Rome, where it is confirmed he was cast into a cauldron of boiling oil. He escaped by miracle, without injury. Domitian afterwards banished him to the Isle of Patmos, where he wrote the Book of Revelation. Nerva, the successor of Domitian, recalled him. He was the only apostle who escaped a violent death.

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In all, there were over 500 people who saw, spoke with and touched Jesus after His crucifixion. They all suffered ridicule, torture and death for their claim. Since then because of their accounts many hundreds of millions throughout history would rather die than deny Christ.

But, WAIT!

... some may object; many people die for things they believe in all the time from all religions from the cults like those of David Koresh to the muslims that kill themselves daily. What makes their martyrdom any less valid to those of Christianity?

The difference is that while many would die for what theybelieveto be true;No one knowingly and willingly dies for what they absolutely knowis a lie!

The apostles and the 500+ others had nothing to gain but misery and death. If at any point they were faced with death, all they needed to do was admit that they had made it all up.

They were horribly executed for whatTHEYTHEMSELVESSAW WITH THEIROWNEYES!

This is a huge difference and a major point that so many skeptics fail to realise and the logic that it necessarily entails is the final nail in their coffin.

This is aside from the fact that there were many enemies of Christ in authority who could and would have ended Christianity before it had begin merely by parading His body in public, the very fact that they didn't was because they couldn't, because He was no longer in the grave.

So, those that still fail to accept the Biblical account and believe Jesus Christ as their living Lord and Saviour haven't a leg to stand on. Their God-given choice is on their own heads should they continue to live in denial in spite of this flawless logic...this greatest evidence of all

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